A vehicle lift is a device operable to lift a vehicle such as a car, truck, bus, etc. Some vehicle lifts operate by positioning two runways at, or near, a shop floor level. The vehicle may be then driven or rolled onto the runways, allowing the runways to support the vehicle. The underside of each runway may be attached to a plurality of powered or manually actuated lifting assemblies. The lifting assemblies may be actuated to raise the runways and the vehicle to a desired height. Afterward, the vehicle may then be lowered once the user has completed his or her task requiring the vehicle lift. In some cases, the lifting assemblies may comprise a single elongated member which may rotate relative to the floor to pivot the runways upwardly. Because of the rotational motion of the lifting assemblies, some horizontal motion of the runways may be encountered. In other cases, the lifting assemblies may comprise a plurality of linkages which pivot relative to one another to cause the runways to rise upwardly, similar to a pair of scissors.
Examples of vehicle lift devices and related concepts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,983,196, entitled “Electronically Controlled Vehicle Lift and Vehicle Services System,” issued Jan. 3, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,763,916, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Synchronizing a Vehicle Lift,” issued Jul. 20, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,430, entitled “Jack with Elevatable Platform,” issued Aug. 5, 2003, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,554, entitled “Portable Lift and Straightening Platform,” issued Nov. 26, 2002, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,676, entitled “Portable Lift and Straightening Platform,” issued Aug. 7, 2001, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,263, entitled “Automotive Alignment Lift,” issued May 9, 2000, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,686, entitled “Non-Continuous Base Ground Level Automotive Lift System,” issued Apr. 6, 1993, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,122, entitled “Safety Interlock System,” issued Mar. 2, 1993, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,159, entitled “Automotive Lift System,” issued Mar. 17, 1992, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; and U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0048653, entitled “Multi-Link Automotive Alignment Lift,” published Mar. 1, 2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
Vehicle lifts require substantial structural and/or mechanical support for the lift device itself and the weight of the vehicle being lifted. Some lift systems have that support above ground, while others have it below ground. With in-ground systems, a pit is typically constructed to contain the support.
In some in-ground systems, the lift support frame assemblies are attached to freshly poured concrete pit wall sections that can take multiple concrete pours to construct. Some require extensive framing for the concrete walls, and they may involve assembling block walls and filling voids with concrete. With all of these methods, the ground in which the pit is constructed is typically dug out substantially wider than the concrete structure so that personnel can safely position themselves in the trench to build the structure. The extra space must then be backfilled, and both the additional removal of earth and the backfilling process can weaken the area around the pit.
While a variety of concrete pits have been made and used, it is believed that no one prior to the inventor(s) has made or used an invention as described herein.
The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the invention may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings, incorporated in and forming a part of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.